August 22, 2009 | 1861 views
1. Badoer when the racing suit's off. The pessimist in you thinking Badoer's racing career won't exactly boom as expected will be happy to know that he's got a life after racing that is solidly covered, just in case. So worry not: The dude's an architect and a son of wealthy parents. The Italian racer's heavily into Italian pop music like Ramzotti Battisti, Baglioni, and Carboni. He loves orange juice and lives in Monaco. He's 5'6" and weighs a little heavier than your dog at 127.6 lbs. He's single, too!
2. Former future champ. His racing career began in 1985 in the Italian karting scene, where he finished first twice in his rookie year. In 1986, he leveled up to the 100cc category and nabbed the overall championship. Two years later, he moved up a notch once more to the Super-100cc and became Italian champ in Birel/Sirio.
3. Back off, Barrichello and Coulthard. These credentials were enough for Luca to earn a spot in F300, racing in a Reynard 92D with Cosworth Engine under Crypton's banner. Versus future F1 colleagues Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard, Luca quickly displayed podium-finish potential, placing 5th and two 6th place finishes in the first three races before ruling the Enna and Hockenheim and Nurburgring legs via dominating wins.
4. F1 debut over early. Luca's debuted in F1 racing in 1993, donning the defunct Lola team's colors. But the race in South Africa, which featured the legendary Alain Prost on pole, ended after just 20 laps for Badoer due to gearbox problems.
